THE Opposition does not support an outright ban on TikTok in Fiji but wants stricter age restrictions, particularly for children under 16, Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu said in his response to this newspaper.
Mr Seruiratu said social media remained an important source of education, information, communication and learning when used responsibly.
“We recognise that social media, when used responsibly, can be an important source of education, information, communication and learning, particularly for our younger generation,” he said.
However, he said safeguards were needed to protect children from harmful and inappropriate content.
“We support the introduction of stricter age restrictions on social media platforms, particularly for children under the age of 16.
“Fiji should seriously consider introducing age-based restrictions, taking into account the experiences of other countries that have adopted similar measures.”
Mr Seruiratu said parental responsibility must remain central, with parents actively involved in monitoring their children’s online activities.
He also called for stronger parental controls to prevent children from being exposed to harmful material.
“At the same time, we must strike a reasonable balance between protecting our children and preserving the rights and freedoms of individuals to access information and communicate through social media,” he added.
“Our objective should not be to restrict social media for everyone, but to establish sensible and effective regulations that protect children while allowing the wider public to continue benefiting from these platforms.”
Mr Seruiratu said the Opposition viewed children’s exposure to explicit, abusive and inappropriate content with serious concern, warning it could negatively influence their behaviour, attitudes, values and development.
He said parents, churches and the wider community shared responsibility for protecting children online.
